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I've had this knife for about a week now and couldn't be more thrilled with it. The minimalist blade design and kanji are beautifully forged and finished. The blade has very little flex and is insanely sharp out of the box. Not to mention, the finish on the edge is highly, highly refined. I have not sharpened this knife as I am still learning and didn't want o mess around with a powder steel so early on. That said, out of the box, the edge was about as sharp as I've ever seen and wouldn't need an initial sharpening either way. Given the high carbon content (1.5%), tungsten and HRC of 64-65, I don't expect this blade will require work for quite some time.

The handle on the knife is a high-polish pakka wood and is relatively thin, tapering towards the butt. Overall, it is very comfortable in the hand, though if I had my druthers, I would prefer a bit more 3D styling. The balance point of the knife is about an inch in front of the bolster, right at the heal of the blade which, for me, is absolutely perfect for my grip.

Performance-wise, this knife is beyond anything I own (Kikuichi TKC, Global Sai, Shun Classic, Henckels International and Global Classic) or handled (Misono 440, Masahiro and Korin). The blade is super thin behind the edge and cuts are incredibly smooth and refined. The knife literally slides through produce. Combination of grind, weight and balance result in an incredibly precise, straight cut. The geometry is very similar to the Kikuichi TKC, though has a slightly larger flat area which I tend to prefer as I found myself accordioning some cuts with the TKC.

So far, the knife has gotten a fair bit of work on plenty of large, spanish onions, tomatoes, cilantro and parsley, chives, scallions, carrots, strip loin, yellow fin, papaya, mango and a variety of peppers. No sticking problems at all to speak of bu haven't tried larger, starchier vegies yet.

In short, I think this is a truly awesome knife. Like it so much that I'm hoping to have Tim Johnson put a nice custom handle on this bad boy. Why it hasn't received more attention the CKTG forums is beyond me. Five stars.

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ChipB

Post subject: Re: Hariyuki SRS15 PM 240MM Gyuto

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 3:33 pm

Joined: Thu May 29, 2014 8:38 pmPosts: 1776

sorry for the spelling on the subject thread was thinking Akifusa while typing Haruyuki

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ChipB

Post subject: Re: Haruyuki SRS15 PM 240MM Gyuto

Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 2:54 pm

Joined: Thu May 29, 2014 8:38 pmPosts: 1776

You're the man, thanks Steve!

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ChipB

Post subject: Re: Haruyuki SRS15 PM 240MM Gyuto

Posted: Sun Jun 15, 2014 11:34 pm

Joined: Thu May 29, 2014 8:38 pmPosts: 1776

Update on this review. Did some light prep on a hard, bamboo mass-produce board this weekend. Didn't bring my steel or ceramic rods with me (dumb). Either this knife is not as hard as one would expect, bamboo boards are a no-no with JK steel, or I inexplicably regressed in terms of my knife skills b/c after prep and prior to slicing duty, the edge definitely turned a bit. When I got home today, the ceramic got in shape quick. Thought this was a bit odd as there was no chipping etc. Knife didn't dull by any means and I am a bit nuts with my honing, but was slightly surprised to see the blade turn the way it did. Wasn't anything major as it was still sharper than anything in the kitchen I was working in, but certainly noticeable.

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Lepus

Post subject: Re: Haruyuki SRS15 PM 240MM Gyuto

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 4:44 am

Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2014 7:15 amPosts: 1804Location: Raleigh, NC

Sounds like a wire edge to me. That said, harder knives are less likely to roll, but it can happen. I use cheapo bamboo boards with fine steel somewhat often and it's not so bad as to damage them after light use.

ChipB

Post subject: Re: Haruyuki SRS15 PM 240MM Gyuto

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 1:43 pm

Joined: Thu May 29, 2014 8:38 pmPosts: 1776

Interesting. So probably needs a post-factory tune up? Should have an EP Essential coming soon, but not going to take it to the Haruyuki anytime soon so probably need to send this guy off to Korin in the interim

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SteveG

Post subject: Re: Haruyuki SRS15 PM 240MM Gyuto

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 2:29 pm

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Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 6:00 pmPosts: 3002

My Takamura R-2 Gyuto was super sharp OOTB, but after some use (not a lot), I discovered a heavily rolled edge on it, when stropping to try and bring back the performance. I did a light sharpening on a 5K stone and so far it's doing great.

One other R-2 owner mentioned they has similar issues and surmised it was probably just an overworked edge from the factory sharpening, or a residual burr which rolled over.

You can probably give it a quick tune up on the 4K Shapton GS stone with the EP, using Sharpie to mark and match the existing bevel, then raise up the stone arm just a tad (maybe 1/16") and sharpen. See how that works. A trip to the Korin may not be necessary.

BTW on the EP, I like to cover both sides of the blade w/blue painter's tape from the spine to about 2/3 to the edge to keep from scratching the sides when sliding it on the table base. It's worth the extra couple of minutes for this step.

ChipB

Post subject: Re: Haruyuki SRS15 PM 240MM Gyuto

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 2:38 pm

Joined: Thu May 29, 2014 8:38 pmPosts: 1776

Steve, that's great info! Especially as the R-2 and the SRS15 seem to be pretty close steels in terms of hardness etc and came really sharp OOTB. Also, great suggestion with the masking tape (especially relevant with recent Shimo order). Love the finish on the Haru and would hate to scratch up the blade

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Lepus

Post subject: Re: Haruyuki SRS15 PM 240MM Gyuto

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 6:49 pm

Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2014 7:15 amPosts: 1804Location: Raleigh, NC

Steve's right. A quick touch up will sort out that sort of edge issue. Your EP work should be able to do this inside your first sharpening session. And I like the painter's tape, Steve. I'll have to remember it if I pick up Mark's jig.

ChipB

Post subject: Re: Haruyuki SRS15 PM 240MM Gyuto

Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2014 9:32 pm

Joined: Thu May 29, 2014 8:38 pmPosts: 1776

Beginning to see exactly why it is so important to be able to sharpen, especially when the number of performance knives in the block begins to increase...Sharpening aside, hopefully this sub-conversation is an informative part of the review. To circle back to Steve's comment in relation to the Takamura R-2, I think, given what Lepus has told me about sharpening (I.E. an edge finished above 8K-10K will likely exhibit some wear issues), that perhaps the boys over at the Haruyuki finishing line might over work the edge a bit. In the context of Shaun's review of the knife (estimated it at a 16K grit finish or perhaps finer), this all makes sense.So, with the help of my knowledgeable friends, we've discovered that Haruyuki knives, or at least this particular knife, while super sharp OOTB, may require a post factory tune-up in short order if you don't want to be relentlessly honing the blade before, during and after prep. Also, I'd imagine that given the ease with which the edge turned, honing, even with a ceramic that may sharpen a bit, isn't going to be the answer for very long as these edges really shouldn't have a ton of ductility to them.Probably not a huge issue for most, but given OOTB sharpness can be important to buyers, something to consider.

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